Pride for Harrogate Town fans ahead of Wembley

Supporters of Harrogate Town have a sense of pride ahead of the biggest game in the club’s history this Sunday as they look to clinch Football League status.

While fans will be absent from Wembley on match day, Town will have the backing of thousands at home as some watch from their living rooms or in the company of fellow fans at the pub.

For Jordan Ford, of the Harrogate Town Supporters Club, the feeling of watching his team in the final is more one of excitement than nerves.

“I feel more excited than nervous to see my club at Wembley.

“The players have been at the club for many years and it will be a great experience for them to see what their hard work has brought them.”

Promotion to League Two would see a £1 million windfall for Town and hosting the likes of Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers at the CNG Stadium.

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Mr Ford, who organises the travel for supporters to away games, said the prospect of travelling to such places with Town is enticing.

He said:

“There’s a lot more northern places in League Two, so there will be interest.

“It would be amazing to play teams like Bradford, and Bolton were in Europe not so long ago.”

However, the road to the Football League would be bittersweet as supporters are absent from Wembley due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 90,000 seater stadium will be empty as Town play Notts County for a place in the EFL, but Mr Ford said the supporters will still play their part.

He said:

“It’s frustrating but that’s the way it is.

“Notts County fans are in exactly the same position and we want to do what is best.

“This is the situation we are in and we have to make the best of it.”

Town booked their place in the final after a 1-0 win over Boreham Wood last Saturday. After 150 days since a football was kicked at the CNG Stadium, some supporters were anxious about the restart.

Rob Nixon, who has followed Town for the past five years, said the feeling of getting to Wembley was sweeter after the long break.

But he added that it will not be the same without supporters there

He said:

“When we got promoted last time and they did so well, it was quite a crazy situation to be in.

“We have been doing better than before and it is a natural progression. But it’s not not quite the same feeling when we are not there.

“The feeling would be more palpable for us if we were there.”

Districts to launch alternative council reorganisation bid

Harrogate Borough Council has united with other district authorities in North Yorkshire to launch a fightback against county council proposals for a single authority ahead of a potential devolution bid.

Leaders from the county’s seven district and borough authorities have today begun a “working together to get change right campaign” as part of an alternative proposal to reorganise local councils.

They argue North Yorkshire County Council’s vision of a single authority for the whole county is not right and the 800,000 residents “deserve better”.

It comes as the government has told council leaders that local government has to be reorganised in the county if any future devolution bid is to be agreed. As a result, North Yorkshire County Council has started to draw up plans for a single council to serve the entire county – which would mean the seven districts would be scrapped.

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But now, district leaders are to work on tabling their own proposal to government. They chose Yorkshire Day, August 1, to begin their campaign.

Speaking on behalf of the leaders group, Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said a single council would be “unworkable”.

He said:

“We were in discussions with the minister earlier this month, and it is clear that the government is open to granting devolved powers and potentially billions in investment to our area, but only if local government is reorganised first. It’s really not a question of “if” reorganisation will happen. It’s more a question of ‘how’.

“A mega council, covering the entire North Yorkshire area – the biggest county area in the whole country – has been mooted. But we don’t believe that’s workable, or in the best interests of our people, places and economy.

“Our citizens deserve better, which is why we’re campaigning to create an alternative bid that gets reorganisation right.

“Reorganising local government will affect the lives of 800,000 people, so we’ve got to get it right. Over the next few weeks we will be reaching out to communities, businesses, councillors, parish councils and other local organisations, to find out how we can build on what we already do well, and where things could improve.

“We’ll be doing a lot of listening. We want any bid that goes before government to have local support, and we hope that government will respect that grass-roots approach.”

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12 cases of coronavirus in Harrogate district as rates remain low

Public Health England figures show 12 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate District in the past week, but infection rates across the county remain low.

The data shows a small day-by-day increase in the number of cases between July 20 and 26, with just one positive case since then.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the prevalence of the virus is “likely to be rising” in England with some lockdown easing due for August 1 being delayed.

Further data has been released by government, known as the “middle super output area”, which shows the number of cases at a neighbourhood level across the country.

The move follows complaints from local authorities that a lack of data at a local level prevented them from managing outbreaks effectively.

According to the data, four cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton area last week. However, data for areas where fewer than two positive cases have been reported is not included.

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So far, a total 724 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the district compared with 2,566 in the wider county.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital announced yesterday that it currently has no positive coronavirus patients for the first time since the pandemic began.

The hospital has also gone 16 days without reporting a coronavirus death and no further deaths were recorded in care homes in Harrogate last week.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said that people “must remain vigilant” in order to keep cases low.

Well done to each and every one of #teamHDFT. pic.twitter.com/zimIENBlfF

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) July 30, 2020

It comes as last night Matt Hancock, secretary of state for health and social care, announced a local lockdown in Greater Manchester, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale. Residents in those areas will no longer be allowed to mix with other households indoors, including in pubs and restaurants.

Mr Hancock said the government was placing areas into local lockdowns in order to prevent a second wave of the virus.

The government also announced a delay on reopening of “higher risk” areas, such as bowling alleys and weddings of up to 30 people

However, earlier this month, Dr Lincoln Sargeant, director of public health at North Yorkshire County Council, told senior councillors that the county was not in the same position as those areas with high infections.

Dr Sargeant said figures in the county “remained low” and that rates in Scarborough, which were the highest, were at half the levels of Leicester – which was also put into a local lockdown in June.

He said:

“We are in a situation where the numbers are low and that gives us a good opportunity to consolidate that situation to work effectively with test and trace to keep those numbers low.”

No positive coronavirus patients at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has reported no positive coronavirus patients for the first time since the pandemic began.

In more good news, it was also revealed today that no coronavirus deaths have been reported at the hospital for 15 days.

This means the death toll at the hospital remains at 82. 

Well done to each and every one of #teamHDFT. pic.twitter.com/zimIENBlfF

— Harrogate NHS FT (@HarrogateNHSFT) July 30, 2020

It is the second-longest time the hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began.

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Nationally, 12 more patients who tested positive for the virus have died in hospital. None were in the north east and Yorkshire region.

NHS England said those patients who died were aged between 40 and 96 and all had known underlying health conditions.

It takes the death toll in England’s hospitals to 29,329.

County to draw up plans for single North Yorkshire council

North Yorkshire County Council will draw up plans for a single authority to serve the county in a move which would see Harrogate Borough Council scrapped.

It comes as part of local council reorganisation plans requested by the government in order to reach a devolution deal. Earlier this week, NYCC said it would bid for more than £2 billion of investment as part of the shake-up of local government.

Simon Clark, local government minister, told council leaders across the county earlier this month that a change in the number of councils will be required for any devolved powers to be agreed.

It would mean that the county council and its seven districts, including Harrogate Borough Council, would be scrapped and replaced with a single authority which would provide services for the entire county.

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The move would see the new council work alongside City of York Council in a proposed devolution deal. 

A final decision on whether to submit the bid to government for a unitary authority will be made by the council’s executive at a later date. Councils have until September to submit any proposal.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“The timing is critical as we drive post-pandemic recovery and York and North Yorkshire need to act now to ensure we are not left behind.

“We have therefore today instructed officers to put together a business case for a single strong, sustainable council for everyone in North Yorkshire, based on the current map and population.

“Not only will a single council based on the county’s current identity, simplify things for people and businesses – renewing our economic fortunes following the shock delivered by the pandemic – it will protect and strengthen high-quality frontline services.

“It will also unleash the county’s potential and deliver very significant financial savings by ending duplication, improving efficiency and driving innovation.

“We estimate savings in excess of £25m every year, offering the best value for money for everyone. No other bid would be able to match these benefits. Equally importantly it will protect a global and recognised brand which is crucial for our visitor economy.”

Devolution bid

Meanwhile, county councillors pressed ahead with proposals for a devolution deal earlier this week when the executive agreed a list of “asks” worth £2.4 billion.

More powers over transport, skills, regeneration and energy are included in the submission, as well as a mayoral funding pot worth £750 million over 25 years.

All councils across the county have to agree to the submission before it can be put on the table to government.

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Harrogate Convention Centre: £46.8m renovation moves a step closer

A £46.8 million renovation of Harrogate’s Convention Centre moved a step closer this evening.

Paula Lorimer, director of the centre, told the meeting the investment was necessary for the success of the district.

A full council meeting next week will now have the final say on whether to spend £1.1 million on detailed designs, a feasibility study and full economic impact assessment of the benefits of renovation.

Ms Lorimer said:

“We need this redevelopment not only to drive more conferences, but for the district and the community.

“We run school events, remembrance events, entertainment, orchestras and community groups.

“We do a great deal to support the community and the revenue we provide goes back into the council.

“What comes into us ripples out into the district. We need a successful HCC.”

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret warned the centre “will not survive” unless councillors approved the project.

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While the move to invest in the centre has been welcomed by local businesses and borough councillors, others have criticised the decision.

Eamon Parkin, Mayor of Ripon, said the investment would not benefit people in the city and twas a waste of money.

In an exclusive interview with the Stray Ferret, Phil Willis, former MP for Harrogate, called on “amateur councillors” to step back from involvement in the centre.

 

County council approves £290,000 funding for Welcome to Yorkshire

North Yorkshire County Council has approved more than £290,000 worth of additional funding to under-threat Welcome to Yorkshire following a bailout request from the tourism body.

Senior county councillors today backed further funding for WTY, which faces a £1.4 million funding gap amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The troubled tourism body, which was marred by scandal only last year, revealed the shortfall in July and wrote to council leaders in the county asking for support – of which around £450,000 was needed from authorities in North Yorkshire.

The organisation was deprived of £1 million in business rates after councils in North and West Yorkshire saw a loss of income due to the pandemic. A further £400,000 shortfall was created when WTY suspended its membership fees.

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Now the county council’s executive has backed further funding for the organisation.

In addition to the county council’s £84,378 standard yearly subscription, a further £76,600 and £215,000 will now be contributed from the council’s directors of development fund. It takes the total contribution up to £375,978.

Other authorities, such as Rydedale, have refused to give the tourism body any extra funding.

County council offices in Northallerton.

North Yorkshire County Council.

Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance at the county council, told an executive meeting yesterday that the funds were not an “open cheque” for WTY.

He said:

“That is an investment in their activities this year and I regard it as an ‘invest to save’. 

“Tourism is a large part of our economy and I think it is absolutely vital that we continue to support that organisation.

“It is not an open ended cheque for years to come by any stretch of the imagination and we are looking very closely next year at their recovery plans in terms of their financial management and the outputs they achieve.

“It was my judgement that certainly for this year it was worth supporting, given the £9 billion a year to the Yorkshire economy and the substantial activity within the tourism and leisure sector.”

It comes after WTY was hit by controversy when former boss, Sir Gary Verity, resigned in March 2019 on health grounds but faced allegations of bullying and inappropriately claiming expenses.

Two inquiries carried out after Sir Gary’s resignation cost the tourism body £482,500, and former boss, Paul Scriven, told the House of Lords it had a “culture of toxicity” and misused public funds.

Investigators looked at expenses worth around £900,000, of which £26,000 were of a personal nature. Sir Gary has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

County council bids for £2bn spending in devolution deal

New transport powers, a carbon negative economy and £2 billion worth of spending are among the proposals agreed by North Yorkshire County Council to put to the government as part of a county-wide devolution bid.

The authority’s executive voted through the list of requests, known as “asks”, which outline what the county wants from devolved powers. 

It comes as council leaders across the county are pressing ahead with plans for a York and North Yorkshire devolution deal with a directly elected mayor.

More powers over transport, skills, regeneration and energy are included in the submission, as well as a mayoral funding pot worth £750 million over 25 years.

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Further funding proposals include a five-year transport settlement worth £250 million, £520 million of devolved funding for fibre connectivity and a £230 million fund for the new mayor to share between the county’s towns.

Each authority across the region has to agree to the proposals before they can be submitted. North Yorkshire’s seven district councils, including Harrogate Borough Council, are each expected to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the plan put forward by NYCC.

Once all councils have agreed, the requests are tabled to government and ministers will produce a formal devolution deal for authorities to vote on.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

North Yorkshire County Council leader, Carl Les.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the county council, said he was pleased to get the submission on the table.

He said:

“This seems to have been on the go for a long time and has had many false starts.

“We have finally got to where we are today with a set of requests that we want to agree so that we can put them on the table with government.”

Ministers and council leaders have set a target of May 2022 for any devolution plan to coincide with the mayoral elections.

Local government shake-up

Following a meeting between Simon Clark, local government minister, and the county’s council leaders, any devolution bid is expected to come with a reorganisation of councils in the county.

This could mean that the county’s seven district councils are scrapped and replaced with a unitary authority for the county.

Councils have until September to submit proposals to the government for a reorganisation of local authorities.

A further report on a proposal for a new authority as part of the reorganisation is expected to come to the county council executive at a later date.

Harrogate Convention Centre investment ‘obscene’, says Mayor of Ripon

The Mayor of Ripon has denounced a £46.8 million investment in Harrogate Convention Centre as a waste of money which will not benefit people elsewhere in the district.

It comes as senior councillors on the borough council will decide on Wednesday whether to spend £1 million to develop plans for the upgrade and spend £155,000 over three years to appoint a project manager.

A confidential cabinet report leaked to the Stray Ferret warns the HCC “will not survive” unless councillors approve a £46.8 million project, which includes full renovation of the venue.

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But, the decision has raised concern among those in the wider district who feel that the investment is centred on what economic benefit can be increased in Harrogate and not in the surrounding areas.

Eamon Parkin, mayor of Ripon 2019-20

Cllr Eamon Parkin, Mayor of Ripon.

Cllr Eamon Parkin, independent mayor of Ripon, said the city and its residents will not benefit from the investment. He added that few visit the convention centre.

Cllr Parkin said:

“It’s an obscene amount of money.

“We never benefit from it here in Ripon. In my opinion, there is never anything worth going to.

“My background is in entertainment and a building like that should be attracting big names, but there is never anything on. I think it is shambolic.”

He added that the HCC suffered from better events and entertainment being held at Leeds Arena.

Meanwhile, opposition Liberal Democrat councillors said years of underinvestment has damaged the HCC and council officials need to “bite the bullet” and invest in the venue.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems and board member at the HCC, said the future of the centre was a stark decision between spending money on the centre and walking away from it.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Cllr Marsh said people will still want to meet at events in person and attend conferences which the HCC needed to be prepared for.

But, she added that any move to spend money on the centre needed to be value for money for taxpayers.

Cllr Marsh said:

“It is a stark decision between investing in the centre or selling it and walking away.

“It is valuable to the local economy. We have to bite the bullet and unless someone can come forward with another way, I cannot see any other way than investing for our people.

“What we need to do is make sure that there is value for money. We have got to make sure that this investment is key for the taxpayer.”

Harrogate Borough Council was approached for comment to respond to the concerns of those in the wider district, but did not respond.

However, the authority has always maintained that the venue has a benefit to the district and that the renovation will help to improve the economy.

Cllr Graham Swift, cabinet member for economic development, said last week:

“Harrogate Convention Centre makes such an important contribution to the district’s economy.

“It is central to the viability of many hundreds of businesses and our recent experience of lockdown shows just what a positive difference it makes locally.

“Redeveloping the centre will make it a much more flexible space that can attract a broader customer base and will have the potential to substantially increase its economic contribution.

“It will also enable us to create a unique facility we can all be proud of which also attracts new events to Harrogate, the district and North Yorkshire.

“I hope my fellow councillors will support this initial investment that will enable us to get the ball rolling on design and construction plans.”

£60m or £35m: What is the value of Harrogate Convention Centre to the district?

For the past decade, Harrogate Borough Council has publicly sold the HCC as having an economic benefit to the town of around £60m.   

Yet at a full council meeting in December last year that figure dropped to a value of £35 million.   

This week councillors will take a step towards taking one of the biggest financial decisions in recent decades – £47 million worth of investment of taxpayers’ money in the HCC in an effort to make it profitable.  

The question is – what is the real value of the HCC to the local economy?

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The £60 million figure has been included in almost all local authority reports, including its annual report in 2019.   

That figure has been based upon annual economic impact summaries carried out by the council and includes a range of assumptions, such as average visitor numbers, how much each individual spends and length of stay.   

An example of an economic impact summary used to assess the value of the HCC in 2016/17.

In its annual report in 2019, the council said: 

“We are responding to the challenges of the changing nature of the conference industry by redeveloping the Harrogate Convention Centre site.  

“The facility contributes around £55 million a year to the local economy and has an important role to play in the district.” 

That was until December that year when council leader, Richard Cooper, was quoted at a full council meeting as saying the HCC is worth £35 million to the town.

Minutes from the meeting said: 

“The leader reported on the performance for the last year and advised that the Visit Britain methodology was now being used to calculate the economic impact for the district. 

“The number of conferences and exhibitions had remained the same and using the new methodology it was estimated that the HCC would drive approximately £35 million of economic impact for 2019/20.”   

It brings into question how the council had previously reached a figure almost double that and whether it felt some pressure to justify continued investment.

And is that value just to Harrogate alone? There are those outside the town who argue that a huge amount of public money is spent on a centre that does not bring significant economic benefit to the wider district.

Convention Centre losses  

In the last 12 financial years, the centre has reported a loss on eight occasions and seen its income drop from £7 million in 2008 to £4 million 10 years later.

As a subsidised economic driver for the town, the HCC relies on taxpayer money to be able to operate the way it does.  

According to the council’s own statement of accounts, in the years where the HCC made a loss the total cost to the public purse was £5,793,606.

Harrogate Convention Centre will have 500 beds when it opens as a Nightingale hospital

Harrogate Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, council papers leaked to The Stray Ferret show that it reported a £710,000 cost for 2019/20.  

Explaining the loss, the report said:  

“This is largely attributed to the increasingly ageing facilities which are of a poorer quality and scale than HCC’s growing number of competitors (many of which have also been redeveloping in recent years).   

“This in turn has led to a loss of market share and a fall in the number and scale of events.” 

It paints a picture of an operating model that requires radical change in order to better serve its customers.  

Years of indecision  

Four years and four consultants on, the HCC and its future remains uncertain.  

2016 –  The Right Solution published a report into the future of the centre and listed recommendations including an arms length company. Paid £32,572.

2018 – IPW Consultancy is brought in to review market analysis of conferences and exhibition centres and 

2018 – Property advisor Cushman and Wakefield was appointed by the council to come up with a business case for the site. Paid £137,550.

2018 – Group Ginger was also appointed to develop a masterplan of the redevelopment. 

But a further £40,000 was granted in November 2019 to commission a consultant to look into a different option for the site following a change in leadership at the HCC.

The borough council appointed Cushman and Wakefield as the consultants for the plan. 

The report said: 

“The HCC redevelopment project poses significant commercial, reputational and financial risks to the council and in order that we are able to make sound recommendations for investment decisions, we are now seeking to commission further specialist advice to test and compare how the alternative, client-led option performs against the status quo position and the original project objectives.” 

Now again in 2020 the borough council looks set to spend £1 million, most of which will be borrowed, to consult further on one set of design proposals.

Is there a different vision? 

The decision going to the council offers only one vision – to keep the site as a convention centre. The only question put to councillors is how much money they want to spend on refurbishing it.

Could there be a different vision for the site that could provide a sustainable economic driver for Harrogate? That is not on the table.

The borough council it seems has put all of our eggs in one basket in the hope the centre will finally start to make a profit and bring more income to Harrogate.

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